What You Need to Know about the Synod on Families in Rome

What is a synod?

A synod is just a gathering of bishops. In this case, the Synod of Bishops is an advisory body called together by a pope to discuss issues and consider questions around a particular topic and them make a recommendation based on them to the pope.

At the conclusion of a synod, the pope will take that recommendation and his own thoughts on the subject and will usually draw up a document called a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, a kind of teaching letter that will be publicly released anywhere from months to a year later.

Does the pope have to follow the recommendations of the synod?

No, the Holy Father is free to take what he wants from the synod, right up to ignoring everything the bishops say. While the Holy Father values the input of his brother bishops, which is why he calls them together in the first place, he has the final authority to teach and govern and carries himself the Holy Spirit’s protection that he will not teach error.

Why was this synod called? What is the topic?

Pope Francis actually called together two assemblies of the synod, one in October 2014 and another in October 2015 to consider the topic of the family, specifically “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization” and “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world”.

What lead up to this synod?

Last year, the Vatican sent out a kind of survey around the world, asking for dioceses to compile feedback on the issues facing families today. The various dioceses and national bishops’ conferences handled the survey differently. Some posted it online and asked for anyone to answer the questions. Others held meetings from which answers were compiled later. Still others held internal meetings or the bishop himself answered the survey. There was no single approach that had been expected.

What are the major controversies?

Given that family life is at the heart of society, culture, and the Church and the families face many challenges today, there were bound to be difficult discussions. The one question that most of the media has latched onto regards the status of divorced and remarried Catholics with regard to receiving Communion.

Jesus Christ taught that marriage is indissoluble. Consequently, a civil divorce does not free one from the commitments one made to be faithful to one’s spouse. To obtain a civil divorce and then marry someone else, without establishing that the first marriage was null (getting an annulment), puts one in a state of violating the Sixth Commandment. As Jesus pointedly teaches in the readings for Sunday, October 4 (notably, the readings for the very day the Synod began): Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery (Mark 10:11–12).

The Church also teaches that a gravely sinful act, such as violating one of the Ten Commandments, prevents one from receiving the sacraments. Therefore, people living in such situations cannot receive Holy Communion unless they rectify their situation (e.g., by obtaining an annulment and marrying their current partner, by living chastely with their current partner and avoiding scandal, or by separating).

Some bishops have stated that they would like to see this teaching change to allow some divorced and civilly remarried Catholic to receive Communion under some circumstances. Other bishops have pointed out that this would be inconsistent with the Church’s teachings—and Jesus’ own words in the Gospel—as we saw above.

Are we going to see the Church teaching on marriage and divorce change?

Pope Francis and the bishops leading the synod have emphasized that the Church’s doctrines are not up for grabs. There will be no major changes to doctrine, because the synod itself was not concerned with doctrine, but with pastoral attention and care.

We have seen some pastoral changes before the synod began. Earlier this fall, Pope Francis revised the Code of Canon Law to streamline the annulment process to make it easier for people in certain situations to receive them.

It’s important to note that he did not changed the grounds on which annulments are granted, but made procedural changes that should make the process easier for those who would have received an annulment under the old process, including eliminating some fees that might have been a barrier for some and shortening the timeline that could take up to a decade to follow through.

What can we expect to be the result of the synod?

The topic of the family has been at the forefront of Pope Francis’ teaching since the beginning of his pontificate. For example, he has dedicated more than a year’s worth of weekly Wednesday general audiences discussing the family and recently traveled to Philadelphia to address the World Meeting of Families in person on this topic. His addresses on the subject have been characterized by their down-to-earth tenor and understanding of the daily foibles and challenges—as well as joys and triumphs—found in families. He’s been known to talk about “flying plates” when discussing arguments between spouses and the challenges that mothers-in-law sometimes present, but also the special gift that grandparents can be for younger generations.

Keeping in mind that the synod must address the universal state of the family, whether in Africa or Asia or South America, and not just Europe or North America, it is likely that synod’s final report will address the challenges posted to the family by the “cultural revolution”; how to help all Catholics and families grow in the Christian life; the situation of families caught in wars, anti-Christian persecution and migrations; violence against women and children; polygamy; the role of the family in the New Evangelization; and how to prepare priests to minister with and to families. This was a partial list of topics presented by Vatican spokesman at daily media briefings.

If you have a question about the Synod for Families, please let us know and we’ll try to answer it as best we can. Send us an email to dbett@matt13catholic.org.